Westvleteren 6

Formerly brewed at Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus
Style: Belgian Ale
Westvleteren, Belgium

Vintage 1998@Kulminator. Very dark brown, great golden brown head. Quite grapelike aroma - or rather like grapes in trapistbeer on a good camenbert - its really wonderfull. Flavour starts off sugary, very light cardboard, milk chocolate, the grapes again, dust/minerals, buttered nut. Medium body - fermented out slick mouthfeel.

1998 Bottle: Dark amber colored pour with a nice medium sized head. Aroma was a strong and fruity with hints of apricot. Nice dry, sweet malty finish. I enjoyed this.

A Mes rate: 1997 bottle. Opaque chestnut brown with a PERFECTLY formed amazingly creamy, off white head and beautifully constructed lace. Unbelievable creamy malt in the mouth. Sublime balance. Showing signs of age but in the best possible way. Malted barley notes in the nose with some brown sugar and a little dark malt. Flavour is full of raisins, plum and chewy chocolate malt. Slight note of dusty old hops in the finish providing superb balance. A full bodied gem. Refined elegance and very very hard to beat.

Bottle 1998: Poured a dark hazy brown with off white head. The aroma is spicy apricot or fruit of some kind. The taste is rich in fruit and finished dry malt.

Medium light brown head. Brown body with intense carbonation. Sweet honey aroma with notes of milk and caramel. Taste is bitter honey and wild berries, kind of dry. Milk, caramel, and spice, too. Dry wooden honey aftertaste. Some carbonation in the mouth. Very unusual, very smooth, very nice. Pity they stopped making it. (0.33l 1998 bottle at Kulminator.)

330ml bottle. Deep copper red body with a decent head. The aroma is slightly roasted, malt with dry fruit and candy sugar. Flavor is as a lighter version of the 8. All the same elements are intact, but the body is more “watery” compared with the big brothers. The Candy sugar sweetness is more dominating and surprisingly the alcohol. But still a great beer and surprisingly well bodied and full flavored for the low alcohol strength.

1994, 11.2oz btl, new year’s eve 1999/00. I held on to this for fourteen months to drink it on this most special of nights. Monstrous pop-cap hiss and soapy looking bubbles instantly rise out of the neck. Ruddy light red pour with tan ringed edges and a soft tan head, billowing over the rim of the glass ever so slowly. Musty aroma of noble hops with a fresh cut grass tinge, toffee, chocolate and figs. Flavor is more chocolate, and pleasant but restrained hoppiness. palate was full bodied but light. Wonderful experience. I had no notion about the retiring of this beer at the time, lest I would’ve procured a more detailed analysis of this delicious light hearted Westy. Well made, but certainly not even close to the caliber of other Westvleteren beers, none of which I was able to sample until a few years later.

(Bottle, courtesy of Walt) Pours a cloudy amber body with a moderate off-white head. Aroma of sweet tart, brett, dates, and overcooked caramel. Flavor of vinous, sweet prunes, light chocolate, and malt. Big Thanks Walt!!!